Welcome!
Welcome to the Talisman Music website! Talisman Music features the Celtic group Talisman, musician and teacher Carl Thor, and contra dance bands Hands4 and Cascade Crossing. In addition, you will find a variety of products in our web store, and information about our teaching, sound engineering and composition services, as well as events we are promoting.
New Music for Download
No Caravan of Despair, new music by Carl Thor and the Talisman Digital Symphony Orchestra, is now available for download. Lush and exotic, this four part suite evokes images of desert caravans and celebrations under the starlit sky. Find it at CDBaby or the iTunes Store.
Workshop: Jam Tunes for Hammered Dulcimer
Join Carl Thor in a monthly workshop designed to help hammered dulcimer players at any level get more
out of their jamming experience. We will learn commonly played tunes, then look at ways to play around with the tune,
by finding the skeleton of the tune and then adding harmony tones, rhythmic embellishments, and backup. Workshop is
$20 on a drop-in basis; next session is 12:15pm to 1:45pm, Sunday, June 2nd at the
Artichoke School of Music.
The workshop is on the first Sunday of every month, in conjunction with the Portland Dulcimer Jam (see below).
Contra in The Couve!
Vancouver, WA, now has a monthly contra dance, held on the second Friday at the Hazel Dell Grange, 7509 NE Hazel Dell Ave. This fine, roomy dance hall is working out well, with its great (if ever so slightly sloped) wood floor and an easy-to-access location just a few blocks from I-5.
The next dance will be Friday, May 10, featuring Full Circle (George Penk, Heather Pinney and Fred Nussbaum). Nan Evans of Port Townsend will call the dance. Come dance with us in Vancouver! Lesson at 7:30pm, dance at 8:00pm. More info here.
Special note for Portland contra dancers: Contra in the Couve is just 4 miles from the Interstate Bridge, and no passport or security check is required for entry into Washington state!
Featured Products in our Web Store
Artichoke Nights 2 CD featuring Artichoke Music artists, including Carl Thor.- Come to the Dance Hall, Second Edition: A collection
of 107 melodies for Diverse Musical Instruments, Suitable for use in Country
Dancing and Related Pastimes
Newly revised and expanded tune book by Carl Thor. - Picture Diary vol. 1 and 2 by Portland artist, Rose Thor.
- New instrument and angel ornaments from Tewksbury Ornaments - 6 new designs!
Harp, guitar, violin, angel with harp, angel with trumpet, angel with violin. - Hammered Dulcimer ornament, hand-crafted by Tewksbury Ornaments - a Talisman Music exclusive!
Dulcimer News
Spring Fling Rendezvous
The 13th annual spring gathering of hammered dulcimer players and friends was a big success! Watch this space, or visit nwdulcimer.com for information on next year's festival. In the meantime, mark your calendar for the last weekend of April, 2014.
New Day and Location for Portland Dulcimer Jam
The Portland Dulcimer Jam meets every month, now at 2-4pm on the first Sunday of the month, at the Artichoke School of Music, 3130 SE Hawthorne, Portland. The jam will immediately follow our monthly Jam Tunes for Hammered Dulcimer workshop.
Services offered by Talisman Music
Live Music
- Music for stage shows and other events by Talisman and Carl Thor
- Music for contra dancing by Hands4 and Cascade Crossing
Recordings, Published Music and Other Products,
available through our Web Store
- Recordings by Talisman Music artists and others
- Sheet music and tunebooks by Carl Thor, Hank Laramee, and others
- The Portland Collection tune books and CDs
- Hand-crafted hammered dulcimer ornament and other music themed ornaments
Composition and Arranging
- Original music for folk dancing, special occasions, film and video, etc.
- Music arranging and production of lead sheets, scores, and parts for your music
Sound Engineering
- Live sound reinforcement, specializing in contra dances and small-scale acoustic music events
- Studio recording, specializing in acoustic music projects, song demos, MIDI, and digital transfer from tapes or vinyl records
Education
- Private lessons and group classes in hammered dulcimer and piano
- Hammered dulcimer instruction materials
Consultation
- Assistance with setup and troubleshooting of your computer, MIDI, and digital recording applications
- Minor repairs of hammered dulcimers
